Msgr Scanlan HS student Signs
with Div 1 school Basketball
Monsignor Scanlan High School continues to hone the best college-bound athletes in the
New York-metro area. Its latest success is Imani Harris, a student athlete who signed with
Robert Morris University, a Division 1 school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday, May 7 at
4 pm. Another Scanlan 2019 graduate, Matthew Mayers, who earned a full basketball scholarship,
will attend Robert Morris University, a Division 1 school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mayers attended junior college for a year where he enhanced his athletic skills leading up
to this big announcement at the campus of Msgr Scanlan High School.
Mother’s Day at Kings Harbor
On Sunday, May 9, Kings Harbor Multicare Center celebrated Mother’s Day with its staff,
residents and family members. Pictured above is resident Felice Franciosa with her niece
and nephew, Constance and Mark Benveniste. Photo courtesy of Kings Harbor Multicare Center
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,42 MAY 14-20, 2021 BTR
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
“America’s Pastime”
has lost its way, and forgotten
the vital role it has
played in the life of the nation.
During times of great
upheaval, the sport has
been a means that brought
together those of different
ideologies, faiths, generations,
and, eventually,
races. It demonstrated
that, playing under a set of
rules in an arena devoid of
politics, people could come
together and fi nd a means
of supporting a common
goal, despite whatever differences
they may have.
More so than any other
form of entertainment or
athletic competition, it
honored tradition. It was
so ingrained in the American
character that during
the Second World War, its
statistics and trivia were
employed by front-line
troops for security purposes.
The sport’s current
leadership, and even many
of the players, fail to comprehend
what baseball
contributes to a country
suffering from deep divisions.
Rather than standing
above the fray and
providing a means to keep
some common ground
and maintain a forum for
unity, it has descended
into just another venue for
partisan debate. It does so
at its own peril, and ours.
This isn’t just a problem
brought about by
those who run the sport.
Sports writers, like many
news journalists, apparently
care less about objectively
reporting the facts
than virtue signalling
and making ideological
points.
One baseball news site,
“Views from 314” wrote:
“American professional
sports and politics intersect
at every possible, uh,
intersection… For too
long, we’ve used sports as
an apolitical refuge when
it is absolutely, positively
not that at all… athletes
have a large platform and
are capable of reaching a
lot more people… When
politics and sports collide–
in ways beyond their
already conjoined nature–
athletes should feel free to
speak up just as fans do.
They should not shut up
and play.”
Baseball embraces politics
at its own peril. Consider
the NFL’s losses following
its decision to stray
into the fi eld. The National
Football League took a signifi
cant fi nancial and popularity
loss following its
surrender to players who
sought to interject politics
into their sport.
Not everything has
to be about politics. Yet,
Major League Baseball’s
decision to move its All-
Star event from Atlanta
to Denver signals to fans
that politics is more important
than the unifying
tonic the game offers. It’s
not just the MLB organization.
Some individual players,
such as the New York
Yankees Aaron Hicks,
who chose not to play after
a tragic interracial incident,
have used the game
to push their perspective.
The move to transfer
the All-Star game from Atlanta
to Denver illustrates
the utter lack of sophistication
of these would-be
politicos. Atlanta is minority
majority city; Denver
is a Caucasian-majority
city. The protested legislation
which prompted the
idea did little more than
provide more security and
transparency to Georgia’s
electoral system. Ironically,
baseball itself practices
one form of security,
the requirement of identity
when picking up reserved
tickets, that has
been a fl ashpoint in the
national debate over ballot
security.
There may be more to
the story. Shortly before
MLB rendered its inappropriate
decision, it announced
that it had signed
a deal with a Chinese company.
China, through its
vast fi nancial infl uence
within the U.S., has done
all it can to encourage racial
animosity. MLB has
cast hungry eyes on the
1.3 billion population of
China for over a decade,
having opened an offi ce
there in 2007. CNN reports
that in 2020, “MLB
partnered with China Education
TV, a national network,
to air select MLB
shows and games. CETV
reaches nearly one billion
viewers.” Beijing has
a signifi cant history of
working with Black Lives
Matter.
The social fabric of
a nation is comprised of
many important facets.
Making them all subordinate
to politics is a terrible
move.
CIVIC CENTER
Community Action
Civic Association
BY TONY SALIMBENE
Our 3rd Sunday regular
post meeting will
be at TN Memorial Post
1456, regular time. I believe
we should be having
nominations for
post positions so please
think about stepping
up. Stand by for date
and time info for our
June meeting, elections
and end of season BBQ.
(The 3rd Sunday is Father’s
Day, possible traditional
change to the
4th Sunday).
The Bronx County
will be starting meetings
again at Post 620
or remote, stand by for
our 102th(?) County Organization
Convention /
Elections in June.
I found a new number
if you have VA related
questions: 1800-
MyVA411.
Please consider buying
a polo shirt in support
of ‘Jim Troiola for
National Commander.’
He is great guy and really
deserving of the
highest offi ce in our organization!
I sent out
the email from Adj.
Casey to commanders
and others. Yet another
high honor for NY Legionnaires.
If you and/
or a dependent are in
need of renewing your
ID for DEERS enrolment,
I found the Navy
Reserve Unit at Ft.
Schuyler professional
and convenient for us.
Pick your appointment
day and time through
RAPIDS (yes, computer).
Until Next Time: We
hope all our moms out
there had a Happy Mothers
Day and we remember
our special ladies no
longer with us too.
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253